[[quoteright:329:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pakistan-map_456.gif]][[caption-width-right:330: Land of the Pure]]

->''"Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. Hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. [[OurFounder Mohammad Ali Jinnah]] did all three."''-->--'''RJ Moore'''

Pakistan ('''Urdu:''' پاکستان Pākstān), officially known as The Islamic Republic of Pakistan ('''Urdu:''' اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاكستان‎, Islāmī Jumhūriyah-yi Pākstān), is a nation in South Asia that was formed from the Muslim majority provinces of UsefulNotes/TheRaj. At the time of its formation, it consisted of two halves (East and West Pakistan) separated by 2000 miles of UsefulNotes/{{India}}. Following the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Bangladesh_atrocities mass murder and rape committed by the Pakistani Army]] in 1971, East Pakistan declared its secession, and, with India's help, gained independence through the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Liberation_War Bangladesh Liberation War]], after which West Pakistan became just Pakistan and East Pakistan became UsefulNotes/{{Bangladesh}}.

Pakistan is nominally TheFederation, though in practice its more like TheRepublic (and to its detractors, TheEmpire) consisting of the four major provinces:

* '''Punjab''', the industrial and agricultural heartland and most populated of the provinces. Punjabis, the titular people of the province, are the largest ethnic group in the country and dominate the culture, particularly music and films. Pakistan's cultural center, Lahore, is its capital.* '''Khyber Pakhtunkhwa''', the smallest province by land area, it's known for its [[SceneryPorn natural beauty]] (being located so close to the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush) and one particular area, the Swat Valley, was described by UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen herself as the "Switzerland of the East". It is part of "Pashtunistan", an area that stretches into neighboring Afghanistan and inhabited by the Eastern Iranian Pashtuns, known for their ProudWarriorRaceGuy tendencies, tribal structures, and, curiously enough, one of the nicest and friendliest personalities on the planet. The Pashtuns as a whole have given a middle finger to the border that separates their homeland and have waged a long, long struggle against both governments in an attempt to preserve their homeland, hence the various afflictions in the province, including the various Islamist militias and the drones that have come to hunt them. Peshawar is its capital.* '''Balochistan''', the largest province by land area and the smallest by population, it also happens to be the most resource-rich. The province is a plateau barricaded by mountains to the east and west, making it very dry and hot. The greater Balochistan area stretches into neighboring Afghanistan and Iran, and all of them are mainly populated by the Baloch, a Western Iranian ethnic group (Pakistan's predominant peoples are the Indo-Aryans). Sadly, the province is riddled with conflict, the main one being an insurgency to get the province to secede from Pakistan, but also sectarian conflict in the form of anti-Shia militias preying on Shia pilgrims en route to Iran, and ethnic tensions between the Baloch and the Pashtuns who have settled in the northern areas of the province. Quetta is its capital.* '''Sindh''', home of Pakistan's largest city and business hub, the provincial capital Karachi. The eastern part of the province blends in with the Thar Desert, the subcontinent's largest. The province is primarily inhabited by the [[CaptainObvious Sindhis]], though Karachi's status as a cosmopolitan city attracts other ethnic groups as well. Also the second most populous of the provinces.

Pakistan also has two federally administered territories: * '''Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)''', the one part of Pashtunistan that is even wilder than Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, being only nominally under the control of Islamabad since colonial times. Again, it's mainly inhabited by the Pashtuns, who make daily crossings into neighboring Afghanistan over a border they do not recognize as legitimate. Keep in mind that the Pakistani government can''not'' protect anyone here, so extreme caution should be exercised for anyone brave enough to enter this area.* '''Islamabad Capital Territory''', sandwiched between the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces and containing the purpose-built Pakistani capital of Islamabad. It's the smallest first-level administrative division of Pakistan.

And its two disputed holdings in the Kashmir Region (which are a cross between a protectorate, a puppet state, and a province). Note that these two have not been fully integrated into Pakistan, in pursuant to UN-mediated talks. In other words, the people here are not entitled to the same rights as Pakistani citizens, and thus cannot vote, elect members to the Federal Assembly, or have self-governance, at least ''de facto'' (officially, there are separate governments, but their functions are mostly symbolic): * '''Azad Kashmir''', the smaller of the two territories of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, with the capital at Muzaffarabad. The province's name translates to "Free Kashmir", though some people might challenge that title, since security is very tight here and curfews are common. As expected, the Kashmiris are the largest ethnic group in this division. One interesting fact about the region is that it has the largest share of the Pakistani diaspora in the United Kingdom: the Mirpuri Punjabis, who make up maybe 70% of the British Pakistanis. * '''Gilgit-Baltistan''', the larger of the two territories of Pakistani-administered Kashmir and Pakistan's northernmost first-level administrative division. The Himalayas/Karakoram cross the region and thus, mountains, glaciers, and harsh winters, are common sights/occurrences; five "eight thousanders" are found here, including the second-highest mountain in the world, K2. Probably has Pakistan's weirdest grouping of languages: the majority language is the Indo-Aryan Shina, which is alien-sounding to other speakers of Indo-Aryan languages; the second largest (and spoken by the province's titular people), Balti, is actually an archaic dialect of the ''Tibetan'' language; and the third largest is Burushaski, a language isolate. Gilgit is the capital, while Skardu is the largest city.

Leaders of note:* Muhammad Ali Jinnah - Pakistan's founder and first governor-general. Also known as the [[FanNickname Quaid-e-Azam]]. Died almost exactly a year after independence.* Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan - Pakistan's first military dictator, ruling from 1958 to 1969. Before that was Pakistan's first native to head the Pakistan Army, and before that served with UsefulNotes/KiplingsFinest against the Japanese in Burma during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Under his rule, Pakistan joined the West's side in the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, the economy did well (at the cost of increasing the wealth gap), before he screwed up by fighting a war with India in 1965 that ended up crashing Pakistan's economy and sowing the seeds of the Bengali independence movement. He was relieved from his position by his own junta in 1969.* General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan - Ayub's [[ReplacementScrappy successor]], he ruled from 1969 til 1971. Presided over what was to be Pakistan's first free and fair elections...that subsequently led to political deadlock and forced him to choose sides, eventually causing the disasterous 1971 war that broke Pakistan in two and caused him to resign in disgrace. Also served with UsefulNotes/KiplingsFinest prior to independence.* Zulfikar Ali Bhutto - First leader of post-1971 Pakistan, and first leader of the Pakistan People's Party. Nationalized many institutions and industries, creating many enemies. Overthrown in 1977 and subsequently executed by his successor.* General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq - Currently the record holder of longest lasting leader of Pakistan at 11 years from 1977 til his mysterious death in 1988. Known for his involvement in opposing the UsefulNotes/SovietInvasionOfAfghanistan and for his Islamization policies.* Benazir Bhutto - First (and thus far, only) woman prime minister of Pakistan (from 1988 until 1990 and from 1993 until 1996), and first female leader in the Muslim world in modern times, daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Assassinated in a bombing in 2007.* Nawaz Sharif - TheRival to Benazir Bhutto and leader of his own faction of the Pakistan Muslim League. Started out as a steel magnate, and got into politics when his family's business became one of the victims of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's nationalization schemes. Credited for attempting peace with India ([[FailureIsTheOnlyOption before Kargil ruined it]]) and for detonating the world's first "Islamic nuke". Overthrown during his second term. Currently Prime Minister of Pakistan for an unprecedented third term.* General Pervez Musharraf - Called [[FanNickname The Commando]] for his stint in the Pakistan special forces, he was Pakistan's 4th military dictator and harbinger of the 3rd military era of Pakistan. His supporters consider him a Pakistani Mustafa Kemal Ataturk or George Washington. His critics put him somewhere between GeneralRipper and MilesGloriosus. His tenure is most noted for his involvement in the WarOnTerror as a close ally of UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush. Was later forced to resign and go into exile following his ouster of the Chief Justice of the Pakistan Supreme Court in 2007, his fate later sealed by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto later that year. Eventually came back to run in the 2013 elections, only to be subsequently arrested and put on trial for treason. [[WhatAnIdiot Mostly because he thought he was still popular based on ''facebook likes'']].* Asif Ali Zardari - Widower of Benazir Bhutto and father of the current party chairman. Served as President of Pakistan after Musharraf and is generally considered not only an accidental president, but possibly the most corrupt and incompetant leader in recent memory.

The origin of UsefulNotes/PakistanisWithPanters

------------'''Examples of the following'''

* ArchEnemy: India, ever since its founding (but even more so since India [[EnemyMine helped Bangladesh gain independence]] from Pakistan in a war in 1971). The never-ending Kashmir conflict ensures this will continue for some time.** Strangely, Pakistan also has an incredibly terrible relationship with ''Armenia'', of all places. Officially, it's because she supports Azerbaijan's claim over Nagorno-Karabakh, but that doesn't explain her choice [[DisproportionateRetribution not to recognize Armenia as a country]]...when Azerbaijan herself does.* ArtisticLicenseEconomics: Pakistan has some of the least taxation in the world, but operates several loss-making public enterprises, does not operate them well, and depends on foreign aid to pay the bills. All the while the politicians and the military both spend like kings. The public, at least in response to such stories in local media, is not amused.* BoomTown: Karachi, Pakistan's MegaCity[=/=]MerchantCity and main port, is also one of the largest and fastest-growing in the world. Mind, prior to independence, the city was a relatively sleepy port town.* TheCityVsTheCountry: A big component of Sindhi politics, rightly or wrongly, thanks to the ethnic makeup within Karachi being vastly different from Sindh where it resides and the power dynamics between the two. Plays out more generally with the rest of Pakistan in terms of politics since, in the countryside, only the tribal landlords have any power to get things done while in the city, it's more (but not completely) egalitarian.* TheClan: This is the Pashtuns' ''raison d'être''. There's a reason why the "Federally Administered Tribal Areas" is titled like that, or the fact that the Pashtuns as a whole are unbelievably hard to be controlled/ordered, be it in Pakistan or in Afghanistan. Fraternity is just too valuable for them to discard in exchange for some petty nationalism.* UsefulNotes/ColdWar: It was one of the fronts of the conflict, on the side of the West, to prevent the Soviets from getting a warm water port and the ability to seal the Gulf. It also was instrumental in opening ties between the United States and China during the 1970s.* DealWithTheDevil: Many Pakistanis are not overly fond of the country's alliance with the United States and angry protests about American involvement in Pakistan are routinely held in major cities. Conversely, Pakistan's support for the Taliban generates mixed feelings -- sure they were religious loons, but they were able to keep Afghanistan stable and, more importantly, ensure that millions of refugees don't escape to (and overwhelm) Pakistan as what had happened when the Soviets invaded.** Likewise, this was the West's general attitude towards Pakistan for most of the alliance's history, even though India was backed by the Soviets. The Bengali Genocide just was where it got too obvious to be ignored.* [[UsefulNotes/NuclearWeapons The Deadliest Mushroom]][=/=]NuclearOption: Pakistan is quite proud of its nuclear arsenal, seeing it as the best guarantor of national security. Needless to say, Indian (and American) policymakers are not thrilled about this, especially the prospect of [[EmptyQuiver the stockpile being unsecured]].** Further compounded that it is [[YouCanPanicNow currently the fastest growing arsenal of nuclear warheads in the world]].** It should be noted that historically, Pakistan only ever became involved in nuclear weapons ''after'' India started making tests and developing them. * DeathMountain: Pakistan has some of the most dangerous mountains to climb in the world. K2, while not the highest, is very difficult to trek thanks to being nigh-symmetrical and being located far away from any civilization; for the record, it has never been climbed during winter (whereas Everest has). Then there's Nanga Parbat...locals nickname it the "Killer Mountain" due to the steep cliffs and glaciers that can and will kill people if they aren't careful. And if you think that natural hazard is enough, the mountain is also infamous for having hidden some remnants of the [[ChurchMilitant Tehrik-i-Taliban]], [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Nanga_Parbat_massacre who once attacked climbers in 2013]].* DreamingOfAWhiteChristmas: The winter of Gilgit-Baltistan routinely blocks roads and tunnels and freezes lakes and rivers; they usually don't get much contact with the outside world for over eight months within a year.* EnforcedColdWar: The relationship between the US and Pakistan has devolved into this due to the War in Afghanistan... mostly since the death of Bin Laden.** The conflict between India and Pakistan has likewise degenerated into this. On one hand, both sides are nuclear powers and there is the risk of Mutually Assured Destruction; on the other virtually every return to open hostilities by the Pakistanis has led to them being curb stomped by the Indians.* EverythingTryingToKillYou: For years Pakistanis were indoctrinated into the belief that anything even mildly critical of Pakistan is, in fact, the work of certain elements hostile to Pakistan, such as a [[ConspiracyTheorist conspiracy]] hatched by a "[[UsefulNotes/{{India}} foreign]] [[UnusualEuphemism hand]]" or, more specifically, a "CIA-RAW-Mossad Nexus"[[note]]Obviously alluding to the international intelligence agencies of America, India and Israel, respectively[[/note]]. This is still the case, but the internet and the very active Pakistani press have made the excuses much harder to swallow.* ExplosiveBreeder: The population, as of 2015, number ''200 million''. Its western neighbors, UsefulNotes/{{Iran}}, has 1/3 of the population with 2 times as much area, while Afghanistan has ''1/6'' of the population with about the same area. No matter the {{Realpolitik}} and in-fighting squabbles, Pakistan is a ''large'' country and is understandably difficult to control, especially as a democracy.* FightingForAHomeland: Pakistan's reasons for supporting Kashmiri militants, at least in public. Also true of Baloch militants.** Pakistan's entire existence can actually be said to a success story case of this. As in the page quote, before 1947, no such thing as a "Pakistan" existed, be it historical or even folk legends. It's an artificial state that's created, even in the founder's wordings, as a safe haven for the Indian Muslims of all ethnicity, be them Punjabis, Sindhis, Hindustanis, etc. Whether they ''accept'' it is debatable, since only about half of the Indian Muslims emigrated to the state (and Bangladesh), and there may be even more Muslims living in India than those to be found in both states.* FunWithAcronyms: Pakistan's name (written using the letters P-A-K-S-T-A-N of Urdu) an acronym of the nation's constituent territories: '''P'''unjab, '''A'''fghania (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), '''K'''ashmir, '''S'''indh and Baluchis'''tan'''. The '''i''' was added to allow for easy pronunciation. It also coincides with the Urdu word for "land of the pure".* LostTribe: The Pashtuns are claimed to be, believe it or not, one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. Yes, ''[[Literature/TheBible that]]'' one. You can even dig out some historical evidences to support that claim. Some of the Pashtun tribal surnames reflect this apparent heritage: Yusufzai, i.e. Son of Joseph, Ishakzai, i.e. Son of Isaac...* TheManBehindTheMan: Afghans are quick to point out that most of the insurgencies currently happening in their country can be traced back to Pakistan's doings. Pakistan was where most of the Mujahideen faction that waged war against the Soviet-controlled Afghanistan emerged and contributed heavily against the Afghani government itself. Said faction eventually morphed into the Taliban. Then there's the fact that while the Taliban has been virtually eradicated from the Afghani bureaucracy, it still holds a strong point in Pakistan's northwest and plans to take over Afghanistan again, something that the Pakistani government (largely) takes a blind eye at. It's the reason why Afghanistan is beginning to turn over to India nowadays.* NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering: Legally, the National Assembly and Senate have supreme authority to do essentially whatever they please. However, partisan politics, personal rivalries/vendettas, incompetence, corruption, and, above all, fear of the powerful Pakistan Army (whose first coup back in the 1950s was caused by the other aforementioned factors) prevents them from actually exercising it, to the detriment (and sometimes benefit) of the public.* ObstructiveBureaucracy[=/=]{{Beleaguered Bureaucra|t}}cy: The civilian governments are infamous for either being carelessly incompetent or grossly self-serving. It is the largest reason why the Army has been able to successfully launch three coups, each lasting roughly a decade. Because of this history, the local media tend to [[StrawCivilian disparage ALL Pakistani politicians in the same brush]], with varying degrees of accuracy.* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: Generally known in Pakistan as the "Establishment", it is said to consist of the military, its clandestine agencies, and (mentioned less often) certain influential politicians and businessmen. It is widely considered [[ThePowersThatBe to be the true power behind the government]], be it military or civilian. Opinions vary greatly as to its effect, purpose, moral stance and competence. The same trope is also applied to the top generals in the Pakistan Army, whenever they have a Corps Commanders meeting.* OurFounder: Muhammad Ali Jinnah.* PatchworkMap: Due to straddling the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, Pakistan is a real life version of this with desolate wasteland to the west, lush farmland to the east, the MegaCity of Karachi and the sea shore to the south, snowcapped mountains to the north, and the purpose-built capital of Islamabad. Of course if you only follow the Western media its all desert.* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The Pashtun inhabitants of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and other northern regions. Also to a lesser extent Punjabis.* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: Islamabad. It's akin to naming your town "Christiansted" or "Jewstown"[[note]]the "-abad" part is actually a Persian cognate (and we mean, real, ''genetic'' cognate; they're from the same Proto-Indo-European root) of the English "abode", so doing a transliteration word-by-word would net "Islamabode", i.e. Abode of Islam[[/note]].* {{Qurac}}: Though not actually a Middle Eastern nation, it is often portrayed that way by Western news and entertainment media, simply because it is a Muslim state. This trope gets most Pakistanis really really really angry. Even worse is when some clueless individuals call Pakistanis Arabs, and their language Arabic. In truth, English is the official language of businesses and the government -- after all, in a country with over seventy languages, opting for their old colonial masters' language is a better alternative to being accused of favoritism for a local language or two.* TheShangriLa: Gilgit-Baltistan (or more specifically, just Baltistan) has been known as "Little Tibet" since ancient times. It's not hyperbole either; the whole area is a Buddhist pilgrimage site, and the indigenous people, the Baltis, are really Tibetans who converted to Shia Islam in the 16th century, but otherwise retain their ancestral culture intact. The mountainous scenery helps as well (the Deosai Plain has been called a condensed form of Tibet). * SitcomArchnemesis: Israel. Due to its status as a Muslim nation and also in an effort to maintain brotherly relations with the Arab world, Pakistan has long declared itself to be an enemy of Israel and has often backed any international legal actions against it. However, in practice, Pakistan isn't particularly active in its emnity with Israel since the 70s.* StateSec: the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Indian English, yes, but still English. While its official status has been repealed recently, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. [[BilingualBackfire Bilingual Backfires]] are not uncommon, especially when there are foreigners.* UrbanSegregation: Of the ethnic variety within Karachi, which sometimes leads to flare-ups.* VetinariJobSecurity: The Pakistan military's tactic of choice whenever they run afoul of the public during their stints in power. And also used with politicians with regards to the perks they enjoy as an organization.* TheWarOnTerror: With Afghanistan to the north and terrorists attacking its borders, Pakistan is one of the lynchpin states in this conflict and features a lot in related news, more so when UsefulNotes/OsamaBinLaden was killed by a covert US mission in Abbottabad, a military city 50 kilometers (31 miles) northeast of Islamabad.* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: Aside from al-Qaeda, the country is home to quite a few militant and/or Islamist groups (Lashkar-e-Taiba, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, Balochi separatists and others). Opinions vary widely on them.

[[AC:The Pakistani flag]]http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pakistan_flag_7058.png->The green field symbolizes Islam, the majority religion of Pakistan, while the white stripe at the hoist denotes religious minorities. The crescent and star are also symbols of Islam, but each also represent progress and light, respectively.----